Pressure evacuating means for storage vessels



T. vElTcH, SR., ErAL 2,792,158v

5 Sheets-Sheet l PRESSURE EVACUATING MEANS FOR STORAG VESSELS May 14,1957 T. vElTcH, SR., ETAL 2,792,158

' PRESSURE EVACUATING MEANS FOR STORAGE vEssELs Filed Jan. 19, 1954 3Sheets-Sheet 2 |NVENTORS.' THOMAS l/f/rcf/ SR. BQL/OMAS l/E/rcf/ Jk.

ATTORNEYS.'

May 14, 1957 T. vElTcH, sR., ETAL PRESSURE EVACUATING MEANS F' ORSTORAGE VESSELS 3 Sheet's- Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 19, 1954 INVENTORSI'7790/14/95 l/f/rc// THOMAS I/ /rcf/ 57?. BY

ATTO NEYS:

iff EVACUATHNG MEANS FR STRAGE VESSELS Application January 19, 1954,Seriai No. @4,942

14 Claims. (Cl. 222-333) PRESS 'f Our invention relates to apparatusinsel-table even into tanks having a very small access opening, by whicheven the liquid at the bottom of a tank may be evacuated under pressure.

The means disclosed are such that both a motor and a pump may beinserted into a tank through a small access opening and then disposedwithin the tank to position the liquid intake of the pump at the bottomof the tank, or at a desired flevel within the tank, and to position themotor so that it will not reduce the effective area of the dischargeconduit.

It has been customary to Withdraw liquids from tanks by means ofsuction, the suction producing means being external to the tank. Forexample, in the case of service stations supplying gasoline it has beencustomary to position both a motor and a pump in a cabinet above ground,along with means for measuring and dispensing the gasoline, and to raisethe gasoline to the dispensing point from a storage tank disposedunderground by using a. suction pump to create suction within a pipe orconduit leading from the pump into the storage tank. However, thisprocedure is not satisfactory Where the liquids are highly volatile andmay vaporize in the pipe leading to the pump. It will be understood thatvapor accumulating in the piping will interfere with the supply andmeasuring of the liquid and may cause vapor lock rendering the pumpaction entirely ineffective.

In recent years many liquids of high Volatility have come into generaluse such for example as petroleum products, cleaning iluids, andchemical solvents. It is well known that in the Aart of producing liquidfuels, notably gasoline, there is an increasing trend toward providingliquids of high octane rating and increased volatility. The problem ofvapor forming in piping leading from a storage tank to a suction pumplocated above ground becomes acute for service stations exposed toprolonged high temperatures, and especially When located `at higheraltitudes where the lessened atmospheric pressure causes vapor to formmore readily in the piping. In gasoline dispensing stations Where theunderground storage tanks are located some distance from the pumpingunits the long draw combined with the vertical lift further increasesthe chance of vapor forming in the piping.

The access openings of underground storage tanks of the type now in usein gasoline iilling stations are lvery narrow, usually from 3 to 31/2 indiameter. While it has llong been realized that the problem of vaporlock could be overcome if a submerged motor driven pressure ptunp couldbe substituted for the suction pump equip,- ment now in use, thepracticai problems involved in making such substitution have remainedunsolved. It is impractical to mount `a motor outside of the storagetank and drive it through a shaft as in many cases there is insucientroom between the tank access opening and the surface of the ground.Furthermore, the shaft pro jecting from a motor outside of the storagetank would be too long. lf a pump and motor are inserted into a tankthrough its access opening and hung from and supported by lthe lower endof a discharge pipe leading Patented May i4, 1957 from the tank thespace Within the pipe, which must be small enough to pass through theaccess opening, will be substantially taken up by the motor if the motoris positioned above the pump. Or if the pump is positioned above themotor, to avoid the diiiculty of pumping the liquid past the motor, thepump wi-ll be suspended above the bottom of the tank a distancedepending upon the height of the motor, leaving a volume of liquid inthe tank which Will not be evacuated by the pump.

An object of the invention is to provide a motor, pump and conduitcombination in which said elements are interrelated and interconnectedin such a way that they can be inserted into tanks, including thosehaving the very small access openings referred to above, and disposedwithin the tank in such a way as to position the pump intake at thebottom of the tank without having the motor blocking the conduit leadingfrom the discharge end of the pump.

Another object of our invention is to make it possible to insert amotor, pressure pump and conduit into a tank including tanks of existingdispensing systems having very restricted access openings, andthereafter dispose the motor, or a motor and pump assembly,substantially at right angles to the axis of the access opening so thatthe pump intake will be at, or as near to the bottom of the tank as isdesired, and can evacuate the liquid stored in the tank by subjectingthe liquid to pressure at the point where it enters the piping leadingfrom the tank, thus preventing vaporizing of the liquid.

Another object of our invention is to provide pressure evacuating meansfor liquid which may be substituted for suction pumping means inexisting installations without major structural changes in the stationequipment and piping and no change whatever in measuring and computingequipment.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features ot construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the severalsteps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of theothers thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in thefollowing claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description isread in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a storage tankshowing an assembly of motor, pump and fluid discharge conduit beinglowered into the storage tank;

Figure 2 is a view'similar to Figure l but showing the elements of theassembly after being disposed within the storage tank in a manner madepossible by the invention;

Figure 3 is a detail vertical view in cross section taken through theflexible joint interconnecting the pump and the main body of thedischarge conduit;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 and shows a modification offlexible joint and means interconnecting the pump and the main body ofthe discharge conduit;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing amodication of means for interconnecting the motor and pump assembly withsaid assembly disposed substantially at right angles to the dischargeconduit;

Figure 6 is a side elevational View, partly in section, showing themotor, pump and discharge conduit element-s of Figure 5 when axiallyaligned as for insertion through the access opening of a tank;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a modication of means forangularly displacing a motor and pump assembly relative to the dischargeconduit and the access opening of a tank;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modificationcomprising a plurality of exible joints interconnecting a motor and pumpassembly with the main body of the discharge conduit; and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modification inwhich a motor is angularly displaceable relative to a pump and dischargeconduit which are in axial alignment.

In Figures 1 and 2 a storage tank 10 is shown located below the groundlevel indicated by a pavement 12 such as is usually provided in gasolinefilling stations for e;- ample, and above the ground level is a cabinet14 having therein measuring and dispensing equipment of known kind, notshown. Storage tank has the small access opening 18 to which access maybe had by removing the cover 20 of the manhole 22 extending from thc topof pavement 12 to the top of tank 1t) around said access opening.

The piping interconnecting storage -tank 10 with the measuring anddispensing means comprises the vertical riser 24, the horizontallyextending section 26, and the cross head 28 to which is connected thepipe or conduit portion 3G which extends down into the tank through itsaccess opening 1S. Y

T he invention comprises means for interconnecting the elements of anassembly of a motor, pump and discharge conduit in such a way that theelements may be inserted into a tank through a narrow access opening,which requires that they be inserted in axial alignment, and thereafterdisposed Within the tank to position the inlet of the pump at the bottomof the tank so that all of the iluid in the tank may be evacuated, andwithout restricting the size of the discharge conduit except as isrequired by the size of the tank access opening. Figures l to 8inclusive show combinations with a uid conduit of a motor and pumpassembly which is angularly displaceable relative to said conduit aftersaid elements are inserted within a tank, Figure 9 illustrates anassembly in which the motor is angularly displaceable relative to a pumpdisposed in axial alignment with the discharge conduit.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures l-3 a flexible jointis shown comprising the two opposed semi-spherical members 32 and 34 theperipheries of which are slidingly interengaged at their interfacepermitting one member to be rotated with respect to the other. Onemem-ber, 32, is secured to and in communication with the lower end 30aof conduit 30 and the other member, 34, is connected to, and incommunication with, the short pipe 36 leading from the discharge end ofpump l. In Figure 1 the two opposed semispherical members 32 and 34 areshown positively joined together by a cross bolt 38 ext-endingdiametrically through said members and constituting a pivot on whichsaid members may rota-te through the desired angle, relative to oneanother.

The motor and pump are of a diameter which is small enough to permitsaid members to be inserted through said access opening 18, and they arejoined together within a common casing c having the screened opening 40between the motor and pump and on a level with the pump inlet. The motorM is connected to a source of power as for example switch in cabinet 14,by cable 41 extending from switch 15 to the connection box 17, and bytlexible cable 42 extending from connection box 17 through accessopening 1S, and desirably through the conduit 30 to the sealed opening31a and over the ilexible coupling to the sealed opening 31h in thecasing c.

In Figure l the assembly, comprising motor M and pump P and conduit 30including the flexible joint members 32 and 34, is shown lbeing loweredinto tank 10 through its access opening 18. At this stage the motor andpump and conduit are all in vertical alignment. If allowed to remain inthis position, even with the motor 7 touching the bottom of the tank,the pump inlet 40 would be spaced by the motor a substantial distanceabove the bottom of the tank, and there would be a large amount ofliquid in the lower portion of tank 10 (all of the liquid below thelevel of the pump inlet indicated by screened port 40), which could notbe evacuated.

On the outer surface of the spherical exible joint member 34 is the wormgear 44 which is engaged by worm 46 supported at the lower end of ashaft 48 which extends up through the access opening 18 of tank 10 andthrough the short nipple 33 screwed into the collar 35 surrounding theaccess opening 18 and through the flange 39 secured to discharge conduit30 and screwed to the top of tlange 37 projecting from the top of nipple33. Said rod 43 has an enlarged head portion 48a to facilitate rotatingsaid rod to cause Worm 46 to rotate worm wheel 44 and thereby swing saidmotor and pump assembly angularly with relation to conduit 30, suchaction preferably taking place while the assembly of motor, pump andconduit are being inserted into tank 10, and while about in the positionshown in Figure 1, before the motor and pump unit has been lowered intocontact with the bottom of the tank, as shown in Figure 2.

After being swung angularly, preferably through substantially thelowering of motor, pump and conduit may be completed to cause the motorand pump to be disposed horizontally along the bottom of the tank andsubstantially at rig-ht angles to the main portion of conduit 3i) whichextends through the access opening 18. It will be seen that in thisposition the inlet opening 40 will be substantially at the bottom oftank 10. Of course the inlet 40 may be spaced above the bottom of thetank if desired, the important thing being that the level of the inletis not controlled by the height or size of the motor.

In Figure 3 the opposed anges 32a and 32h of said semi-spherical members32 and 34 are shown provided with opposed semi-cylindrical surfacegrooves 50a and SGI; and an O-washer 52 is seated in the groove thusprovided by the opposed members 32 and 34. In Figure 3 a spring 54 isshown interconnected between exible joint member 32 and 34 to yieldinglyhold them together. The spring is formed with hook ends for engagementwith the eyes 56 and 58 respectively, detachably secured to members 32and 34.

In the modification shown in Figure 4 the main discharge conduit 30a hasthe rigid ears 60 projecting from its lower end and these ears arepivotally connected as by pivot 62 to the ears 64 projecting from thepump P or more exactly from the periphery of the casing c which enclosesboth the motor and the pump. Intercommunieating between conduit 30a andthe inlet of pump P and partly encompassed by said pivoted pairs of earsis a length of tlexible conduit 66. It will be understood that the motorand pump unit may be suspended from conduit 30a in axial alignmenttherewith or may be swung on pivot 62 for rotation relative to mainconduit 30a while tiuid connection between the pump and said conduit 30ais maintained at all times.

In Figure 4 a caster-like projection 68 is shown projecting from theperiphery of the casing c at a point laterally displaced from the axisof the motor and pump unit to facilitate angular movement of the motorlongitudinally of the tank and into angular displacement relative to theaxis of the access opening 18 of the tank. Obviously member 68 may beemployed in any of the illustrated embodiments of the invention. Whenpositioned at a point radially spaced from the axis of casing c aportion of the weight of the assembly acts as a force urging the pumpand motor unit to move out of axial alignment with the tank accessopening.

In Figures 5 and 6 the pump P has a short pipe 70 communicating with itsdischarge side and projecting from and the lowerl end of discharge pipeor conduit 30e is A draaien Y cut olf at the bottom at an anglecomplementary to the angle of the end of pipe 70 and the high points ofsaid pipes 7@ and Stic are hinged together as by the pivot 72. Theopposed edges of said pipes 70 and 30e meet causing said pipes tointercommunicate when the motor and pump unit is angularly displaced inrelation to conduit 30e as illustrated in Figure 5. Pivoted to the motorand pump unit, as for example to the inner surface of pipe 70 by pivot76 is a rod 74, which as shown extends up through conduit 30e and itsthreaded upper end extends through the internally threaded nut 78,provided within conduit Sii/c above tank 1d. By rotating nut 78 rod 74is caused to move up or down thereby swinging the motor and pump unit.By rotation of nut 78 the pump and motor unit may be moved from aposition of alignment with the axis of conduit 30C to a position inwhich it is disposed substantially at right angles to said axis.

Projecting from the end of motor M remote from ptunp P is a skid 79,which serves to facilitate angular displacement of the motor and pumpunit and like the castorlike projection 68 could of course be employedby the motor shown in Figure 9 or the motor and pump unit of any ofFigures 1-8. j

ln Figure 7 discharge conduit 30d is shown connected to a motor and pumpunit through a flexible coupling, which may for example be of the kindshown in Figures 1 3, and secured to the lower end of conduit 30d as byscrews 81B is a leaf spring 82 an intermediate portion 84 of which maybe bent outwardly to conform to the shape of the i'iexible couplinginterconnecting conduit 30d with the outlet of the pump, and the lowerextremity 86 of which is free and presses against the surface of thepump and motor unit to yieldingly urge it into a position of lateraldisplacement relative to conduit 30d. Preferably spring 84 is ofsumcient strength to initiate displacement of the motor and pump unitrelative to the axis of access opening 18 and conduit 30d withoutpreventing the motor and pump from being held in axial alignment withsaid conduit 36d while the motor and pump of said unit are beinginserted through said opening.

In Figure 8 two flexible or rotatable couplings indicated generally bythe numerals 90 and 92 respectively are shown, coupling 90 interconnectsdischarge conduit portions 30e and 30f and coupling 92 interconnectscondiut 30]: with the short pipe 94 projecting from the discharge end ofpump P.

it will be understood that this conduit structure is selfadjusting inlength and so is adapted for use in storage tanks of different sizes. Intanks of small diameter the members Sile and ilf adjust themselvesangularly and similarly in tanks of greater height or diameter themembersdle and 30]" tend to move into axial alignment thus tending toincrease their length to the extent required to position the lower endof conduit 30j as may be desired.

in Figure 9 a pump P1 is shown positioned at the lower end of a conduit30g. Projecting from the lower end of pump P1 are the brackets 100 and102 which are pivotally connected by means of pivot 104 with thebrackets 1% and N8 projecting from one end of the motor M1. Alsoprojecting from the lower end of pump P1 is the power shaft 110 havingat its extremity the bevel gear 112 which meshes with the bevel gear114, which may be mounted for rotation on pivot 104, which also mesheswith the bevel gear 116 mounted on the end of the power shaft 118projecting out of the motor toward the pump. Power from motor M1 istransmitted from power shaft 118 through gears 116, 114 and 112 t0 thedriven shaft 110 of the pump, the interior mechanism of which is notshown since it may be of known kind utilizing the power transmitted toshaft 110.

It will be understood that the drive from the motor to the pump iseiective whether the pump and motor are aligned axially or angularlydisposed one to the otherr It will also be understood that any meanssuch as the spring 84 shown in Figure 7, or the rod 74 shown in Figure5, or the rod, worin and gear combination shown in Figures l and 2, maybe applied to the motor M1 instead of to the pump, or a unitary casingenclosing both pump and motor, and employed to dispose the motor inangular relation to the pump P1 and conduit 30g, thus making it possibleto lower the pump substantially to the bottom of a storage tank, themotor being disposed out of the way and in angular relation to the pump.

If desired the castor-like member 68a, shown in the center of the lowerend of the motor M1, may be positioned oit' center to cause angularmovement of the motor relative to the pump to be facilitated by theweight of the assembly acting through a laterally extending force vectorwhen the eccentrically positioned member 68a strikes the bottom of astorage tank.

The construction shown in Figure 9 like the constructions shown inFigures l. to 8 has the advantage that the pump intake may be broughtdown to the very bottom of the storage tank and thus be in a position toexhaust all of the liquid from the tank and in so doing to exertpressure on it at all times thereby preventing the formation of vaporwithin the discharge conduit or the piping with which it connects andthus avoiding the danger of Vaporlock.

,it will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention anapparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth togetherwith many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. Asvarious possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features ofthe above invention and as the art herein described might be varied invarious parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, itis to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown inthe accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

What we claim is:

l. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening wliichcomprises a combination of, a pump, a conduit connected to the outputside of said pump, a motor on the opposite side of the pump from saidconduit, and a power shaft interconnecting said motor and pump fordriving said pump, said combination being characterized in that saidconduit, pump and motor are axially aligned when suspended for insertioninto a tank through its access opening, said pump and motor beingenclosed in a common casing for movement together as a unit, said unitbeing movable from a position of axial alignment with the axis of saidaccess opening into a position in which it is angularly disposed withrespect to the axis of said access opening, and said conduit cornprisinga portion interconnected with said pump in such a manner that said unitis movable from axial alignment with the axis of said access opening toa position in which it is angularly disposed with respect to the axis ofsaid access opening, and means connected tot said casing and extendingto a point outside of said tank for swinging said casing from a positionof axial alignment with the axis of said access opening into a positionin which it is angularly disposed with respect to the axis of saidaccess opening.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim l including means pivotallyinterconnecting said casing and said conduit.

3. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access lopening whichcomprises, a combination of a pump, a motor, a power shaftinterconnecting said motor and pump for driving said pump, an outletconduit connected to said pump at a point remote from said motor, andjoint means interconnecting said outlet conduit and pump and permittingrelative movement between them, the assembly comprising said combinationbeing movable from a position of axial alignment into a position inwhich said motor and pump are disposed substantially at right angles tothe axis of said access opening with the inlet of said pump disposedsubstantially at the bottom of said tank.

4. The apparatus claimed in claim 3 in which said outlet conduitcomprises a rigid portion and a second portion including said jointmeans interconnected with said pump and movable from axial alignmentwith said pump and motor to a position in which it is substantiallyaugularly disposed with respect to said pump and motor.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 3 including a power cable extendingfrom said motor past said pump and through said outlet conduit to asource of power.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 3 in which said pump and motor areenclosed in a unitary casing, said casing having a fluid inletintermediate its ends communicating with said pump.

7. The apparatus claimed in claim 6 in combination with means extendingfrom the unit comprising said motor and pump to a point outside saidtank and operative to swing said unit from a positie-n of alignment withthe axis `of the tank opening to a position substantially at rightangles to the axis of the tank opening.

8. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a pump, a motor, a power shaft interconnecting said motor andpump for driving said pump, an outlet conduit connected to the outputside of said pump and adapted to extend through said access opening to apoint outside the tank, joint means interconnecting the conduit and pumpand permitting relative movement between the motor and pump subassemblyand the conduit, a rod extending axially of said conduit and pivot meansconnecting said rod to said pump, said rod constituting control meansfor causing the sub-assembly of the pump and motor to be displacedangularly relative to said discharge conduit.

9. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening -whichcomprises a pump, a motor, a power shaft interconnecting said motor andpump for driving said pump, an outlet conduit connected to the outputside of said pump and adapted to extend through said access opening to apoint outside the tank, joint means interconnecting the conduit and pumpand permitting relative movement between the motor and pump sub-assemblya-nd the conduit, said pump and motor comprising a sub-assembly movablein unison, a rod extending axially of said discharge conduit, a pivotmeans interconnecting said rod to said sub-assembly, said rodconstituting control means for causing said sub-assembly to be displacedangularly relative to said discharge conduit.

l0. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a combination of a pump, a motor, a power shaftinterconnecting said motor and pump for driving said pump and meansprojecting from the free end of said casing off center to facilitateangular movement. of said casing and the motor and pump containedtherein relative to said discharge conduit.

ll. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a combination of, a pump, a conduit connected to the outputside of said pump, a motor ou the opposite side of the pump from saidconduit, and a power shaft interconnecting said motor and pump fordriving said pump, said combination being characterized in that saidconduit, pump and motor are axially aligned when suspended for insertioninto a tank through its access opening, said pump and motor beingenclosed in a common casin g for movement together as a unit, said unitbeing movable from a position of axial alignment with the axis of saidaccess opening into a position in which it is angularly disposed withrespect to the axis of said access opening, and said conduit comprisinga portion interconnected with said pump in such a manner that said unitis movable from axial alignment with the axis of said access opening toa position in which it is angularly disposed with respect to the axis ofsaid access opening, said conduit comprising two members with opposedcircular peripheries relatively rotatable in the plane of theirinterface, means holding said members together in all angular positionsrelative to one another, a worm wheel mounted on one of said members, aWorm meshing with said worm wheel, and a rod connected to said worm torotate it and thereby provide remote control for swinging said memberand the means Connected to it into a position of angular displacementrelative to the axis of said access opening.

12. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a combination of, a pump, a conduit connected to the outputside of said pump, a motor on the opposite side of the pump from saidconduit, and a power shaft interconnecting said motor and pump fordriving said pump, said combination being characterized in that saidconduit, pump and motor are axially aligned when suspended for insertioninto a tank through its access opening, said pump and motor beingenclosed in a common casing for movement together as a unit, said unitbeing movable from a position of axial alignment with the axis of saidaccess opening into a position in which it is angularly disposed withrespect to the axis of said access opening, and said conduit comprisinga portion interconnected with said pump in such a manner that said unitis movable from axial alignment with the axis of said access opening toa position in which it is angularly disposed with respect to the axis ofsaid access opening, a short pipe connected to the discharge side of thepump, the end of said pipe which is furthest from the pump being cut atan angle, and the opposed end of said conduit being cut at asubstantially complementary angle, said pipe and conduit being hingedtogether at their extremities permitting movement of said motor and pumpfrom axial alignment with said conduit to a position in which it isangularly disposed relative to said conduit, said angularly disposedends being adapted to seat one against the other When the motor and pumpassembly is angularly disposed relative to said conduit.

13. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a combination of, a pump, a conduit including a flexibleportion, connected to the output side of said pump, a motor on theopposite side of the pump from said conduit, and a power shaftinterconnecting said motor and pump for driving said pump, saidcombination being characterized in that said conduit, pump and motor areaxially aligned when suspended for insertion into a tank through itsaccess opening, and means operative after the motor and pump combinationhave been inserted into the tank to displace the motor and pumpcombination angularly with respect to the access opening of the tank tolic along the bottom of the tank with the pump inlet substantially atthe bottom of the tank.

14. Apparatus for insertion into a tank through its access opening whichcomprises a combination of, a pump, a conduit including a bendableportion connected to the output side of said pump, a motor on theopposite side of the pump from said conduit, and a power shaftinterconnecting said motor and pump for driving said pump, saidcombination being characterized in that said conduit, pump and motor areaxially aligned when suspended for insertion into a tank through itsaccess opening, and means operative after the motor and pump combinationhave been inserted into the tank to facilitate movement of the pump andmotor in a direction substantially at right angles to the access openingof the tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,349,780 Weinrich et al. May 23, 1944 2,492,141 Gaylord Dec. 27, 19492,500,834 Korte Mar. 14, 1950 2,553,857 Korte May 22, 1951 2,573,850Korte Nov. 6, 1951 2,648,286 Bergh Aug. 11, 1953

